Sewing machine lubricating means



Dec. 8, 1942. w MYERS 2,304,741

- SEWING MACHINE 'LUBRICATING MEANS Filed Jan. 15, 1941 f 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 alier hl yers Wifweaa Dec. 8, 1942. w. MYERS SEWING MACHINE LUBRICATING MEANS Filed Jan. 15, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIFJIIHAHF l dw Dec. 8, 1942. w. MYERS SEWING MACHEENE LUBRICATING MEANS Filed Jan. 15, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 amen Wok walier m yens' Patented Dec. 8, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 15, 1941, Serial No. 374,421

16 Claims. (Cl. 112-256) This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to means for lubricating the bearing surface between the bearing rib on the thread-case and the raceway of the hook.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide improved means for delivering oil from a stationary reservoir to the raceway of the hook. Another object of the invention is to provide means for regulating the delivery of the oil from a main reservoir to an auxiliary reservoir which thread-case and the raceway of the hook.

A still further object of this invention is to locate a well or reservoir beneath the hook-body and provide improved means for delivering the oil from the well to the raceway of the hook when the machine is operating, with means for controlling the amount of oil delivered to the reservoir.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device for delivering the oil to the raceway of the hook and in which the device will last for the entire life of the machine as there is no engagement between the moving parts of the device and consequently there will be no wear between these parts.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangementsof parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through a portion of the bed-plate of a two-needle sewing machine embodying the present invention, some of the operating mechanism for the hook being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the same portion of the sewing machine shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the hook and its supporting bracket.

Figure 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the hook and embodiment selected, [0 represents the base of the machine which is formed with depending lugs ll each of which carry a bearing bushing l2 extending from the lugs towards each other. Journaled in the bushings i2 is an actuating shaft i3 which is operatively connected to a needle-bar shaft (not shown). Carried by the shaft l3 are the spiral gears l4 and i4 (Fig. 2), the gear I4 meshing with a spiral gear l5 carried by a vertically disposed loop-taker shaft l6 carrying at its upper end a loop-taker I! of the vertical-axis rotary hook type. It will be understood that the rotation of the gears l4 and I5 is as 2 is to l and that the hook makes two revolutions for each reciprocation of the needles [8 with which it cooperates in the formation of lock-stitches.

The loop-taker shaft I6 is journaled in spaced bearing lugs I9 and 20 projecting from a looptaker bracket or saddle 2 I, said bracket having at its rearward end a split bearing boss 22 adjustably clamped upon the left hand bushing l2 by a screw 23. At its forward end the bracket 2| is rovided with a foot 25 which is secured by a screw 26 against a seat formed on the lug 21 which depends from the bed I0.

Secured to the lower end of the shaft l6 by the screw 30 (Fig. 4) so as to rotate therewith is an eccentric 3| which is embraced by the forked end 32 of an arm 34 having a split hub 35 which is clamped to the lower end of the rock-shaft 36 by the screw 31. The rock-shaft 36 is journaled in the bracket 2| and to its upper end which terminates adjacent the hook I! there is fixed by the screw 40 the usual opener finger 4| adapted to intermittently engage and thereby oscillate the bobbin or thread-case 42 for the purpose of opening a thread passage to permit the needlethread to pass the bobbin-case rotation-restraining means. The above described mechanism is all old and well known and is shown in the patents to Myers, No. 2,095,450, dated Oct. 12, 1937, and No. 2,236,830, dated April 1, 1941, to which reference may be had for a complete description of the machine.

To lubricate the raceway 44 (Fig. 4) of the hook I! in which the bearing rib of the threadcase 42 is journaled, I have formed a supply or main reservoir 45 in the bracket 2|. The supply reservoir 45 is connected by a conduit 46 with an auxiliary reservoir or well 41 which is located below and adjacent the, hook l1. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the reservoir 41 is of circular trough shape and encircles the hook-shaft [6, its bottom being located level with or slightly below the level of the bottom of the reservoir 45 so that oil will fiow by gravity from the reservoir 45 to the auxiliary reservoir 41. In order to control the flow of oil from the reservoir 45 to the auxiliary reservoir 41, the conduit is provided with a valve which comprises the screw 50 and the felt washers 5| which are adapted to be compressed by the screw 50 in order to control the flow of oil.

The hook I! is formed with an oil sling portion 55 which overlies and encloses the reservoir 41 and the portion 55 is apertured to receive one end of a tube or scoop 56. As shown in Figures 4 and 6 the tube 56 is located at a distance from the axis about which the hook l'l rotates and the free end of the tube extends downwardly and inwardly towards the axis of rotation of the hook. The tube 56 is also inclined in the direction of rotation of the hook. This arrangement causes the free end of the tube to pick up any oil which may be in the reservoir 41 and this oil, aided by centrifugal force created by the rotation of the tube 56 with its upper end inclined outwardly, is conducted through the conduits 51 and 58 and the port 59 to the raceway 44 in the hook-body.

From the foregoing it will be understood that oil is delivered from a main reservoir 45 to an auxiliary reservoir 41 and the amount of oil delivered to the auxiliary reservoir may be regulated. It will be obvious that the reservoir 45 need not be formed in the saddle 2| but may be located on any part on the machine and oil conducted to the auxiliary reservoir in the desired quantity by any suitable means.

It will also be understood that I have shown and described the invention as applied to the hook which cooperates with the left needle as viewed in Figure 1 and that the arrangement for the hook cooperating with the right hand needle is identical except that the parts are reversed. There is a small clearance between the end of the tube 56 and the bottom and side wall of the reservoir 41, and therefore there is no metal to metal contact between the parts comprising the operative structure for delivering oil to the hook when the machine is operating. This construction insures long life for the parts.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the elements employed and details of construction are susceptible of material variations. The privilege is therefore reserved of resorting to all such legitimate changes therein as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. In a sewing machine in combination, a looptaker provided with a body formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, a lubricant reservoir located below the level of the loop-taker, and means carried by said loop-taker body and effective only during the operation of the machine for delivering lubricant from said reservoir to the raceway in the loop-taker.

2. In a sewing machine in combination, a rotary hook provided with a body formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, means for rotating said loop-taker about a vertical axis, a stationary lubricant reservoir located below the level of the hook, and means carried by said hook-body and effective only during the loop-taker.

3. In a sewing machine in combination, a rotarv hook provided with a body formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, means for rotating said loop-taker about a vertical axis, a stationary lubricant reservoir located below the level of the hook, and a scoop depending from said hook-body and extending into said reservoir for conducting lubricant from the reservoir to the raceway in the hook.

4. In a sewing machine in combination, a rotatable hook provided with a body formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, a stationary lubricant reservoir located adjacent said rotary hook, and means including a scoop carried by the body of the hook for conducting lubricant from the reservoir to the raceway in said hook when the hook is rotating.

5. In a sewing machine in combination, a rotatable hook provided with a body formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, a stationary lubricant reservoir located adjacent and below said hook body, and oil-collecting means depending from said hook and located at a distance from the axis about which the hook rotates for supplying oil from said reservoir to the raceway in said hook.

6. In a sewing machine in combination, a frame including a bed, a supporting element located below said bed, a shaft journaled in said supporting element and operable about a vertical axis, a hook fixed to the upper end of the shaft and formed with a raceway, a reservoir surrounding the shaft and located below said hook, and an oil collecting member depending from and carried by said hook and effective only during the operation of the machine for delivering oil by centrifugal action from said reservoir to the raceway in said hook.

'7. In a sewing machine in combination, a frame including a bed, a supporting element located below said bed, a shaft journaled in said supporting element and operable about a vertical axis, a hook fixed to the upper end of the shaft and formed with a raceway, a reservoir surrounding the shaft and located adjacent said hook, and means including a scoop carried by said hook and located at a distance from the axis of the shaft for delivering oil from said reservoir to the raceway in the book.

8. A sewing machine having in combination, a frame including a bed, a supporting element carried beneath said bed, a shaft journaled in said supporting element, a rotary hook fixed to the end of said shaft and formed with a raceway, a reservoir located below the hook and encircling said shaft, means including a member extending outwardly from said hook for supplying oil from said reservoir to the raceway in said hook, a second reservoir spaced from said first mentioned reservoir, a conduit connecting said reservoirs, and means located in said conduit for metering the amount of oil delivered from said second mentioned reservoir to said first mentioned reservoir.

9. A sewing machine having in combination, a rotatable hook formed with a raceway, a threadcase journaled in said raceway, actuating means for rotating asid hook, an oil reservoir located adjacent said hook, a tube carried by said hook and extending into said reservoir for delivering oil from said reservoir to the raceway in said hook, a second reservoir disposed at a distance from said first mentioned reservoir and located above said first mentioned reservoir, means connecting said reservoir whereby oil is delivered from one reservoir to the other reservoir by gravity, and means for controlling the amount of lubricant supplied from said second mentioned reservoir to said first mentioned reservoir.

10. In a sewing machine having in combination, a hook provided with a body formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, means for actuating said hook about a vertical axis, a reservoir located adjacent said hook and surrounding said shaft, and means including a tube carried by said hook-body and extending into said reservoir for delivering lubricant from said reservoir to the raceway in the hook when the machine is operated.

11. In a sewing machine, a rotary hook formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, an oil-reservoir located adjacent said hook and a scoop carried by said hook and inclined towards the axis of rotation of the hook for collecting oil in said reservoir and delivering it to the hook when the hook is rotated.

12. In a sewing machine, a rotary hook formed with a raceway and operable about a vertical axis, a reservoir located below said hook, a member depending from said hook and extending into said reservoir for supplying oil from said reservoir to the raceway in said hook and means for controlling the amount of oil supplied to said reservoir.

13. In a sewing machine, a rotary hook formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, means for rotating said hook about a vertical axis, a cupshaped oil-reservoir located below said hook and a scoop carried by said hook and extending into said reservoir for delivering oil from said reservoir to said bearing surface when the machine is operated.

14. In a sewing machine, in combination, a rotatable member formed with a bearing surface,

6 an oil-reservoir located below said member, ac-

tuating means extending upwardly through said reservoir and operatively connected to said member and a tube carried by and rotating with said member, said tube having one of its ends scoured 10 to said member and its free end inclined towards the axis about which said member rotates.

15. In a sewing machine, in combination, a ro tary hook formed with a raceway, a thread-case journaled in said raceway, a circular reservoir located below said hook and having an opening, a shaft extending upwardly through said opening and operatively connected to said hook for rotating the same, a tube carried by said hook and having one of its ends secured to said hook at a distance from the axis about which the hook rotates, the free end of said tube being inclined in the direction of rotation of the hook.

16. A sewing machine having, in combination, a bracket, a vertically arranged hook-actuating shaft journaled in said bracket, a hook secured to the upper end of said shaft, said hook being provided with a raceway and an oil-conduit communicating with said raceway, an oil-reservoir located below said hook, an oil-sling formed on said hook and closing the top of said reservoir and means carried by said hook and extending into said reservoir for delivering lubricant from said reservoir to the raceway in said hook.

WALTER MYERS.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,501i,7l|.l. December 8, 19 42.

WALTER MYERS.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows Page 1, first column, lines 10 and 11, for "which thread-case and the raceway of the hook" read --which is located adjacent the hook--'; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of February, A. D. 1911.5.

' Henry Van Arsdale,

Seal I Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

